For more than 20 years hair tests have been used in forensic medicine. The ‘Society for Hair Testing’, together with several public and private laboratories (eg Chemtox in France, Luxembourg LHB, CURML Switzerland, Center for Toxicology and Research in Greece, Texas Southern University in the United States ...) have devoted themselves to the study of this matrix and publish annually several scientific papers on the topic, in toxicological and human biomonitoring magazines. Since around 10 years many scientific articles have described the advantages of this method for assessment of the environmental impact of environmental pollutants, including exposure to organophosphates. Blood and urine are a biological matrix for the assessment of acute exposure and have a detection window in the blood from 6 to 48 hours, and 12 hours to 4 days in the urine. However, these samples are bound to the sample taking, transport and storage.

The hair grows an average of 1cm per month. The substances to which the body is exposed are transported through the blood stream into the roots of the hair and during synthesis are absorbed in the inner structure of the hair bulb. Therefore, the analysis of a 3cm long strand of hair covers the average exposure of a person over a period of three months. The detection window for the hair ranges from 15 days to 6 months. However, the results do not indicate whether it is a chronic or an acute exposure, or a combination of both.

In the process established by IRES for the analysis of TCP in the hair, the first and immediate step is a special washing procedure of the hair sample to eliminate any external contamination of the hair, prior to the extraction step and the analysis. Thus, the analysis evaluates the presence of TCP in the structure of the hair and reflects a body exposure to TCP. The analysis focusses on the following TCP isomers: tri-ooo-cresyl phosphate, tri-mmm cresyl phosphate, tri-mmp cresyl phosphate, tri-MPP cresyl phosphate, tri-ppp cresyl phosphate. The method used is gas-chromatography coupled in tandem with detection by mass-spectrometry. This analytical technique is very sensitive and provides a specific and reliable response for each of the compounds under investigation.

The EASA analysis of indoor air in aircraft cabins ‘Preliminary Cabin Air Quality Measurement Campaign’, published in March 2017, showed the presence of four TCP isomers in cabin air, in at least one of two airliners. A further analysis of the aircraft engine oils used, also showed the presence of four TCP isomers in aircraft cabins.

The use of TCP in products of daily life is not proven. We can conclude that the presence of four TCP isomers in your hair is highly likely caused by exposure to contamination (in the air within the cabin and found in used aircraft engine oils) from aircraft engine oils in the air containing these contaminants.

The price of the IRES analysis results from the need for investment in material that is required to reach the sensitivity levels for the analysis of TCP in the hair. AVSA finances the development of this analytical method from its own resources and invests in research and development from other biological tests designed to detect exposure to contaminated aircraft cabin air.

Below study states: (source) "..... the current study demonstrates that hair analysis allows reliable classification of individuals according to their respective level of exposure. This proof-of-concept, therefore, represents a step forward in considering hair analysis as a reliable tool to be used dur- ing epidemiological studies to investigate exposure-asso- ciated adverse health effects."

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